Compact disc container

ABSTRACT

A DVD or CD case having a DVD nest which is sized and shaped to hold a DVD optical disc (or any similarly sized disc). The DVD nest is conical in shape and made from a flexible (or semi-rigid) material so that it functions as a bistable cone and therefore rests in either a down position (wherein the cone is directed downwardly) or an up position (wherein the cone is directed upwardly). Located centrally within the DVD nest is a hub assembly which may be conventional and includes a supportive ledge onto which a DVD may rest. The hub assembly is attached to and preferably integrally formed with the bistable cone in such a manner that the hub assembly (and any supported DVD located thereon) moves from a rest position wherein the DVD is recessed within the nest, and a raised position wherein the DVD is raised above the nest so that its edge may be grasped and the DVD removed from the case. According to another embodiment, locking arms are provides which are located within the hub assembly and which automatically move with movement of the bistable cone from a locked position (when the cone is down) wherein the locking arms lock the DVD in place about the hub, and an unlocked position (when the cone is up) wherein the locking arms allow free removal of the DVD from the hub assembly and the DVD case.

RELATED APPLICATION DATA

[0001] This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 from U.S. Provisional Application serial No. 60/386,907, filed Jun. 6, 2002, which application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] A) Field of the Invention

[0003] This invention generally relates to cases or containers, and more particularly, to containers for holding compact discs (e.g., cds and dvds).

[0004] B) Description of the Prior Art

[0005] In recent times, most recorded music is purchased by the consumer either on a cassette tape or a compact disc. Cassette tapes and compact discs have supplanted vinyl records and 8-track tapes as the dominant forms of recorded music. Along with the growth of compact discs, numerous storage containers have been developed to hold the discs during shipping, display for sale, and subsequent home storage. A disc may spend over 99% of its life stored in one such storage container because the same storage container is typically used to ship the disc, to display the disc, and to store the disc at the home of the consumer. Most of the storage containers known in the art hold the compact disc on a hub that engages the center hole of the disc to hold the disc in place in the storage container.

[0006] Digital versatile discs (DVDs) have been developed a few years ago and are expected to grow as more consumers are exposed to the benefits of a digital video picture combined with a digital audio track on a single DVD. Also, DVDs have a larger storage capacity than a compact disc and may be used to hold feature length films as well as multiple music recordings. It is likely that DVDs may also be used to hold data in computer readable forms. One problem with DVDs is that they currently trade durability for their increased storage capacity. It is believed that a DVD may be damaged over time by the forces that are commonly created in a compact disc storage container. These forces are the outwardly directed forces created by the hub that typically radially engages the interior wall that forms the center hole in a disc. Compact discs are durable enough to be insensitive to this force but it is believed that a DVD will eventually warp as a result of these constant radial forces. Such warping can prevent the data on a DVD from being correctly read by a DVD player.

[0007] In view of the perceived problems with the constant bending forces, the industry has moved in the direction of requiring all DVD storage containers to loosely retain the DVD such that it may freely rotate while securely retained by the storage container. The storage container thus must retain the DVD in a manner that allows it to freely rotate while also securely holding the DVD during a standard drop test. It is thus desired in the art to provide a storage container for a DVD that holds the DVD without creating constant bending stresses in the DVD while securely retaining the DVD to prevent it from coming loose.

[0008] Another problem with existing storage containers that allow compact discs and DVDs to be easily removed from a hub is that some of these devices create large bending forces in the discs when the disc is removed from the hub. These storage containers typically allow a person to grasp the edge of the disc at any location about its perimeter and pull upwardly causing the disc to engage the hub, compress a portion of the hub, and then pop off of the hub. Although these cases certainly allow for somewhat easy removal, the stresses experienced by the disc during the removal process are thought to be large enough to damage a DVD. It is thus desired in the art to provide a storage container for a DVD that allows the DVD to be quickly and easily removed without creating significantly large bending stresses in the DVD during the removal process.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The present invention is directed to A DVD or CD case having a nest sized and shaped to hold a DVD optical disc, a cd or any disc. The DVD nest is conical in shape and made from a flexible (or semi-rigid) material so that it functions as a bistable cone and therefore rests in either a down position (wherein the cone is directed downwardly) or an up position (wherein the cone is directed upwardly). Located centrally within the DVD nest is a hub assembly which may be conventional and includes a supportive ledge onto which a DVD may rest. The hub assembly is attached to and preferably integrally formed with the bistable cone in such a manner that the hub assembly (and any supported DVD located thereon) moves from a rest position wherein the DVD is recessed within the nest, and a raised position wherein the DVD is raised above the nest so that its edge may be grasped and the DVD removed from the case. According to another embodiment, locking arms are provided which are located within the hub assembly and which automatically move with movement of the bistable cone from a locked position (when the cone is down) wherein the locking arms lock the DVD in place about the hub, and an unlocked position (when the cone is up) wherein the locking arms allow free removal of the DVD from the hub assembly and the DVD case. Yet another embodiment of the invention provides a nest which includes a stable cone which is biased to an up position and which is held in a down position by a locking mechanism. In this instance, the user may selectively unlock the locking mechanism and allow the stable cone to lift the held DVD upward to a removal position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010]FIG. 1 is a front view of a DVD case, according to a first embodiment of the invention;

[0011]FIG. 2 is a sectional side view (taken along the line A-A of FIG. 1) of a DVD nest located within the case sized and shaped to hold a DVD and being in a popped-up “removable” position, according to the invention;

[0012]FIG. 3 is a sectional side view (taken along the line A-A of FIG. 1) of the DVD nest being in a popped-down “safe” position, according to the invention;

[0013]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a DVD nest portion showing details of a central hub and a trigger arm, according to the invention;

[0014]FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the DVD nest of FIG. 4, according to the invention;

[0015]FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of the DVD nest of FIG. 4, according to the invention;

[0016]FIG. 7a is a concept illustration (sectional view) of a bi-stable cone, shown in a popped-up stable position, according to the invention;

[0017]FIG. 7b is a concept illustration (sectional view) of the bi-stable cone of FIG. 7a, shown in a popped-down position, according to the invention;

[0018]FIG. 7c is a more basic concept illustration of a bi-stable cone showing both the popped-up and popped-down positions, according to the invention;

[0019]FIG. 8 is a top plan view of a second DVD case showing a DVD nest and two opposing trigger buttons, according to a second embodiment of the invention;

[0020]FIG. 9 is an illustrative concept view of a DVD nest showing a bistable cone structure and integrally formed locking arms, wherein the cone is in a popped down position and the locking arms in a locked position;

[0021]FIG. 10 is an illustrative concept view of a DVD nest showing a bistable cone structure and integrally formed locking arms, wherein the cone is in a popped-up position and the locking arms in an unlocked position;

[0022]FIG. 11 is sectional side view of a DVD case having a locking-release mechanism and a spring-biased stable cone arrangement, according to another embodiment of the invention, showing the locking-release mechanism in a locked position;

[0023]FIG. 12 is an enlarged view of a portion of the DVD case of FIG. 11, showing details of the locking-release mechanism in its locked position, according to the invention;

[0024]FIG. 13 is a sectional side view of the DVD case of FIG. 11, showing the locking-release mechanism in a released position, wherein the cone is allowed to move to its biased (up) position, according to this embodiment of the invention;

[0025]FIG. 14 is an enlarged view of a portion of the DVD case of FIG. 13, showing details of the locking-release mechanism in its released position, according to the invention;

[0026]FIG. 15 is a sectional side view of a DVD case having a central hub and a disc-retaining button, according to yet another embodiment of the invention, showing the button in a first secured position;

[0027]FIG. 16 is a sectional side view of the DVD case of FIG. 15 showing the button being pulled (by the unseen finger of an unseen user), according to the invention;

[0028]FIG. 17 is a sectional side view of the DVD case of FIG. 15 showing the button removed from the central hub, thereby allowing the DVD to be removed from the case, according to the invention;

[0029]FIG. 18 is a top view of the button, according to the invention;

[0030]FIG. 19 is a side view of the button of FIG. 18, according to the invention; and

[0031]FIG. 20 is a sectional side view of the button of FIG. 19, showing details of the frangible arrow insert, according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0032] The present invention is a DVD case for holding (or retaining) and storing a DVD type optical disc, or CD (collectively “DVD”). The disc-holding structure of present case is based on the operation of a bistable cone wherein a cone-shaped component may be displaced between an up and down position. In doing so, the apex of the cone is displaced vertically which creates vertical linear movement. Applicants have incorporated this bistable action into the structure of the case to employ the vertical displacement to cause a DVD to be selectively raised from a resting and secure position within a recess or nest of the case to a raised and easily accessible and removable position lying above the recess.

[0033] Referring to FIG. 1, a plan view of a DVD case 10 is shown, according to the invention. Case 10 is somewhat book-shaped, similar to conventional DVD cases that are well known in the art. Conventional cases include a DVD-receiving recess on one side of the inside portion of the case (usually the right side), molded integrally with the formation of the DVD case. The conventional shape of the “nest” (where the disc resides) is typically flat.

[0034] The present DVD case also includes a DVD recess or nest 12, but it is shaped differently, as a bistable cone 14, as described above and as shown generally in the figures of the application (see FIGS. 2, 3, 7, 9 and 10). A hub assembly 16 is centrally formed on the cone 14 so that as cone moves between its two stable positions, hub assembly 16 moves generally linearly along a vertical axis (in and out of the paper of FIG. 1). Hub assembly 16 may be conventional or may include locking tabs described later in this application, according to another embodiment of this invention.

[0035] Regardless, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, hub assembly is sized and shaped to receive a portion of the DVD, preferably the central opening 18 of a DVD (see FIG. 10 for central opening 18). Hub assembly 16 preferably includes a ledge 20 that is slightly larger in diameter than the central opening 18 of a DVD so that a DVD received by hub assembly 16 will come to rest on ledge 18. DVD recess 12 includes a peripheral ledge 22 that is sized and shaped to snugly receive a DVD so that in a first resting position (with the DVD mounted to hub assembly 16), the peripheral edge 24 of the DVD will rest on this ledge 22 and will be protected within recess 12, as shown in FIGS. 2.

[0036] In operation of the DVD case shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a user simply presses on a lower portion of the cone 14 which is accessible on the backside of the case 10 until the bistable cone snaps to its stable up position, during which the hub assembly 16 and the supported DVD will rise a preset distance above the recess 12. In this raised position, peripheral edge 24 of the DVD disc will become exposed above ledge 22 and away from recess 12. The user may now obtain a finger purchase along any point of the fully exposed edge of the DVD and use it to gently pull the DVD from central hub assembly 16. When finished using the disc, the user may either first press down on the hub assembly 16 so that the cone 14 pops back to its down position (with no disc) and then position the opening of the DVD onto the hub assembly 16 in a somewhat conventional manner, or first place the DVD onto the hub assembly 16 and thereafter press the hub assembly 16 or the DVD (and therefore also the hub assembly 16). When the cone is depressed, it will pop down to it's stable down position, bringing with it the hub-secured DVD to a safe and protective position within recess 12 with peripheral edge 24 of the disc resting on ledge 22.

[0037] Ledge 22 is optional and not necessary for the present invention to work. If a ledge 22 is used, the ledge is sized and shaped so that any contact with the disc will not damage the disc, even if the disc rotates about the hub assembly 16 during shipping or otherwise. Conventional CDs and DVDs provide a non-information-bearing rim along the perimeter of the disc which may be used to support the disc within a case. It is against this portion that ledge 22 would contact so that even if the ledge scratched the disc, no information would be lost or misread.

[0038] According to another embodiment of the invention, and referring to FIGS. 4, 5, and 6, a trigger arm 26 is shown. Trigger arm 26 is preferably integrally molded with the rest of the case and includes a pivot axis 28 and a trigger button 30. The purpose of trigger arm 26, and trigger button 30 is to allow a user to activate the bistable cone from its down position to its up position without having access to the backside of the DVD case. The trigger arm is attached to (integrally molded with) cone 14, as shown in FIG. 6, preferably slightly off-center (although the exact position of this arm 26 will vary according to the size, shape and angle of the cone and also the material used and the thickness of the cone walls, and also the dimensions of the trigger arm). Trigger arm 26 can be selectively pivoted about the pivot axis 28 when a user depresses button 30. Such pivotal movement of trigger arm 26 creates a vertical displacement of cone 14 which is used to persuade cone 14 to transform from its down position to its up position. Applicants have determined that an off-center arrangement of the trigger arm 26 with respect to the cone 14 requires less pivotal torque to cause the cone 14 to trigger because the cone can smoothly deform almost wave-like in a radial path. If the trigger arm is radially positioned (directed to the immediate center), the cone tends to buckle before triggering, perhaps due to symmetrically applied forces, at least on one side of the cone.

[0039] In use of this second embodiment, to remove a DVD from the case, a user simply depresses button 30 which causes trigger arm 26 to pivot about pivot axis 28. This action forces cone 14 to transform from a down (and disc-safe) position to an up and accessible position, as otherwise described above.

[0040] Referring now to FIGS. 9 and 10, yet another embodiment of the invention is shown wherein locking arms 32 are integrally formed to an upper surface of cone 14. Locking arms 32 are preferably semirigid (made from the same material as the case) and include locking ends 34 which extend within a hub assembly 36, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. The width of locking arms 32 may vary somewhat, but must both be able to fit within the central opening of the disc. Locking arms 32 are sized, positioned, and shaped so that when cone 14 is in an up position, locking ends 34 may loosely receive central opening of a DVD, as shown in FIG. 9. However, as cone 14 moves to its down position, locking arms 32 cause locking ends 34 to horizontally displace (radially outwardly with respect to the DVD) and engage with an upper surface of the DVD extending slightly beyond the central opening of the DVD so that the DVD becomes securely locked to the hub assembly 36 by locking ends 34 of locking arms 32, as shown in FIG. 10. With this arrangement, when cone 14 moves to its popped up position, the DVD may be removed from hub assembly 36 without having to overcome any friction or engagement since the locking ends 34 are displaced inwardly and do not contact the DVD. Once the cone moves to its popped-down position, as shown in FIG. 10, the locking ends 34 extend over a small portion of the disc and thereby hold the disc in place, either tightly in contact, or loosely only preventing any extended vertical displacement of the DVD, but not otherwise contacting the DVD (so that the DVD may freely rotate about the hub assembly 36).

[0041] The DVD case, in any of the above-described embodiments is preferably made from polypropylene and includes all the appropriate structural reinforcement ribs, and webs, and living hinges, as well known by those skilled in the art. The case is preferably formed through conventional injection molding methods of manufacture and preferably require no caming action during the molding process. It is preferred that a circular living hinge is used to connect the bistable cone to the hub and also to the case (within the nest 12).

[0042] Also, the trigger button 30 may be any size and shape and may be positioned anywhere on the case. Also, other triggers may be used to push the cone from its down position to its up position, including trigger arms that operate in response to the opening of the DVD case so that as the case is opened, the trigger arm pushes the cone (and the DVD) up, offering the DVD to the user.

[0043] Also, a flexible cone can be used wherein the cone has variable wall thickness to aid in its function. The wall thickness can be varied during molding to vary the amount of force required to activate the cone from its down to up position.

[0044] According to yet another embodiment, a case 48 includes a cone 50 which is similar in shape and overall function as cone 15, described in earlier embodiments, however in this embodiment, cone 50 is only single-stable in that it includes an inherent spring bias to return to its down (or up) position and a force must be constantly applied (for example, by the user), for the cone to remain in its “unstable” orientation, or an appropriate mechanical locking clip must be used. According to this embodiment, and referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, a locking clip 52 is used to hold the “unstable” cone 50 in a down position (against it's inherent spring bias towards an up position). Locking clip 52 of FIGS. 12-14 is integrally molded to a peripheral portion of cone 52 and includes a locking arm 56, an integrally formed locking tab (finger-contact) 58 and a locking edge 60. Locking tab 58 is sized and shaped to extend through an tab-opening 62 formed within a wall 64 of recess 66 of case 48. The details of locking clip 52 are best shown in the enlarged views of FIGS. 12 and 14. In use, when cone 50 is depressed to its lower position, as shown in FIG. 11, locking arm 56 extends radially outwardly from the center of cone 50, which forces locking tab 58 to extend outwardly through tab opening 62 sufficiently so that locking edge 60 engages with a portion of wall 64 (or any appropriate portion of case 48, as understood by those skilled in the art). Locking arm is preferably also spring biased upwardly so that locking edge 60 automatically engages with wall 64 when locking tab extends sufficiently outward from tab opening 62, as shown in FIG. 12.

[0045] When locking edge 60 is engaged with wall 64, as shown in FIG. 12, locking arm 56 will remain in tension and will effectively hold cone 50 in it's lower position, against its inherent spring-bias towards the up position. As long as locking edge 60 is engaged with wall 64, cone 50 will remain in the lower position and the held DVD or CD will remain recessed and protected.

[0046] When a user wishes to retrieve a held DVD or CD, he simply depresses the exposed locking tab 58 downward, as illustrated by arrow 66 in FIG. 12. This action will cause locking edge 60 to lose its locking engagement with wall 64, thereby allowing the spring-bias of cone 50 to move to the upper position, and in doing so, drawing locking arm 56 into tab opening 62, as shown in FIG. 14.

[0047] Locking tab and locking arm may take on any appropriate shape and may be positioned anywhere about case 48, as would be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art.

[0048] Referring now to FIGS. 15-20, a locking button 70 is shown, according to yet another embodiment of the invention. Button 70 is preferably made as a single piece and includes a locking arrow 72, a base 74 and a finger pull 76. Base 74 supports both finger pull 76 and locking arrow 72, as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20. The purpose of locking button 70 is to prevent a held DVD or CD from falling from it's supporting hub, in particular, during shipping and handling. In use, an opening 78 is provided in the hub which is sized and shaped to receive a portion of locking arrow 72. Preferably at the packaging plant, locking button 70 is secured to the hub by pressing locking arrow 72 into opening 78 so that the arms 80 of locking arrow 72 are allowed to freely expand within the structure of the hub and thereby hold the button in place, as shown in FIG. 15. When in this position, the base 74 of button 70 will contact an upper portion of the held DVD or CD and prevent removal from the hub. When the user receives the DVD (or CD) from the store, for example, s/he simply uses the finger-pull 76 to force locking arrow to withdraw from opening 78, or as in the example shown in FIG. 17, break from base 74. The opening 78 and the locking arrow 72 may be designed to survive repeated separations from the hub so that it may be reused. However, a useful function of the frangible version of the locking arrow 72 is to discourage theft from the store. Locking button 70 may further include (or in place of locking arrow 72) a sticker or tab or any tamper indication substrate (not shown) so that regardless whether the locking button 70 is reusable, the tamper indication substrate (not shown) will be forced to tear thereby revealing that the DVD/CD has likely been removed from the package.

[0049] Also, although a conical shape is preferred, a “cone” is not necessary to create a bistable cone action. Other shapes may be stressed to create a similar action, including triangular and rectangular.

[0050] According to yet another embodiment of the invention (not shown), a central hub assembly includes a removable component (a locking clip) that is used to secure a DVD to the hub assembly during shipping of the DVD in the DVD case. There are instances when a DVD may detach from the conventional hubs within the conventional DVD case during shipping so that the DVD becomes damaged within the case even before the case is opened by the user. The locking clip snaps onto the hub assembly (however the hub may otherwise be designed) and includes a portion that overlaps the DVD disc located on the hub assembly so that the held DVD will not (cannot) fall from the hub during shipping, until the locking clip is later removed by the end user. The locking tab can take on a variety of shapes and sizes, but is preferably small, simple and includes a low-profile so that it does not interfere with the closing of the case. The locking clip preferably further includes a portion that may be easily grasped by the end-user so that the locking clip can be easily removed. Applicants contemplates that the locking clip is formed integrally with the case and snaps into a locking position after the DVD is positioned onto the hub assembly and includes a frangible portion that must be broken by the end-user. Also, the locking clip may be a simple sticker substrate that adheres to a portion of the DVD and the hub assembly and may be peeled away by the end user. 

We claim:
 1. A case for holding a DVD or CD information storage disc having a central opening, said case comprising: a body; a recess formed within said body, said recess being sized and shaped to receive said disc, said recess having a rim whose perimeter is larger than the perimeter of said disc, said recess having a floor; a hub assembly having a spindle which is sized and shaped to fit within said opening of said disc; a bi-stable cone integrally formed between said floor and said hub, said bi-stable cone being stable in either a lower position, wherein said hub is positioned in a lower position for holding a disc on said hub within said recess with said disc perimeter being generally adjacent to said rim, and an upper position, wherein said hub is positioned in an upper position generally above said rim for holding a disc above said rim so that said disc perimeter is accessible above said rim. 